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Answer:

Who we are and what we do

The Electoral Services Section is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. For the purpose of the 2018 General Data Protection Regulation, the Data Controller is (depending on the service) either the Electoral Registration Officer (for registration matters), or the Returning Officer (for election matters) based at the Town Hall, 160 Whitechapel Rd, London E1 1BJ

When you contact the Electoral Services Team, we are likely to ask you for certain personal information in order to be able to assist with your enquiry. Some of this information will need to be recorded and stored on our systems. This Privacy Notice aims to explain:

  1. the different kinds of personal data we process
  2. how we use your data
  3. how we store your data
  4. why we process your data
  5. when and why we share your information
  6. the legal grounds for processing your information.

Everyone working for Electoral Services has a legal duty to keep and process information about you in accordance with the law.

This notice explains why we ask for your personal information, how that information will be used and how you can access your records.

We process your data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and UK privacy legislation and if you have any concerns or questions the Council’s Data Protection Officer can be contacted on DPO@towerhamlets.gov.uk.

The laws that govern the collection and use of this data

The following is a list of all primary and secondary legislation relevant to the collection, processing and retention of personal data:

  • Local Government Act 1972
  • Representation of the People Act 1983
  • Electoral Administration Act 2006
  • Electoral Administration Act 2013
  • Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001
  • Representation of the People (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2002 and 2006
  • Representation of the People (England and Wales) (Amendment) (No 2) 2006
  • European Parliamentary Elections (Registration of Citizens of Accession States) Regulations 2003
  • European Parliamentary Elections Regulations 2004
  • Police (Scotland) Regulations 2004
  • European Parliamentary Elections (Amendment) Regulations 2009
  • Local Elections (Principal Areas) Rules 2006
  • Local Authorities (Mayoral Elections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007
  • Greater London Authority Elections Rules 2007
  • The Local Authorities (Mayoral Elections) (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2011
  • The Local Elections (Principal Areas) (England and Wales) (Amendment) Rules 2011
  • Greater London Authority Elections (Amendment) Rules 2012
  • Neighbourhood Planning (Referendums) Regulations 2012

Why we need your information and how we use it

We use information about citizens, electors and voters to enable us to carry out specific functions for which we are responsible and to provide you with a statutory service.

We keep records about potential and actual electors, voters, citizens, candidates and their agents, staff employed at an election and the people we need to pay. These may be written down (manual records) or kept on a computer (electronic records).

What type of information is collected from you

The information we collect and process may include:

  1. basic details about you, for example, name, address, date of birth and nationality
  2. unique identifiers (such as your NI number),
  3. scanned application forms & dates of any letters of correspondence
  4. notes about any relevant circumstances that you have told us
  5. details and records about the service you have received
  6. your previous or any redirected address
  7. the other occupants in your home
  8. if you are over 76 or under 16/17
  9. whether you have chosen to opt out of the Open version of the Register.

Who your information may be shared with (internally and externally)

This will include:

  1. contracted printers to print polling cards, postal packs & other electoral material
  2. to registered political parties, elected representatives, candidates, agents and other permitted participants who are able to use it for electoral purposes only
  3. credit reference agencies, the British Library, UK Statistics Authority, the Electoral Commission and other statutory recipients of the Electoral Register
  4. details of whether you have voted (but not how you have voted) to those who are entitled in law to receive it after an election
  5. where the health and safety of others is at risk
  6. when the law requires us to pass on information under special circumstances,
  7. crime prevention or the detection of fraud as part of the National Fraud Initiative.

How long we keep your information (retention period)

In order to provide you with this service, we rely on our legal obligations. The Electoral Registration Officer & Returning Officer are independent statutory post holders and are obliged to process your personal data in relation to preparing for and conducting Elections.

Your details will be kept and updated in accordance with our legal obligations and in line with statutory retention periods.
Anyone who receives information from us has a legal duty to keep it confidential.
We are required by law to report certain information to appropriate authorities – for example:

  • where a formal court order has been issued.
  • to law enforcement agencies for the prevention or detection of a crime
  • to the Jury Central Summoning Bureau indicating those persons who are aged 76 or over and are no longer eligible for jury service.

Partner organisations

The process of checking citizens’ personal identifiers to ensure eligibility for inclusion in the Electoral Register, is controlled by the Cabinet Office via the Governments Individual Electoral Registration Digital Service.

The process includes:

  • The Department for Work and Pensions who use data provided to verify the identity of new applicants
  • The Cabinet Office will inform the old local authority of people who have moved area

Information will be processed within the European Economic Area (EEA) and will not be shared with overseas recipients.

If your details are in the Open version of the Electoral Register, your name and address can be sold to third parties who may use it for any purpose. You can opt out of this version at any time and are given the opportunity when you apply to register to vote and annually as part of the Canvass of all households.

To verify your identity, when you apply to be registered to vote the data you provide will be processed by the Individual Electoral Registration Digital Service managed by the Cabinet Office. As part of this process your data will be shared with the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Cabinet Office suppliers that are data processors for the Individual Electoral Registration Digital Service.

Find more information on the Register to vote website.

How we protect your Information

We will not transfer your personal data outside the EU without your consent.

We have implemented generally accepted standards of technology and operational security in order to protect personal data from loss, misuse, or unauthorised alteration or destruction.  

Please note that where you are transmitting information to us over the internet this can never be guaranteed to be 100 per cent secure.  

For any payments which we take from you online we will use a recognised online secure payment system.

We will notify you promptly in the event of any breach of your personal data which might expose you to serious risk. 

Your rights

You have rights under the Data Protection Legislations:

  • to access your personal data
  • to be provided with information about how your personal data is processed
  • to have your personal data corrected
  • to have your personal data erased in certain circumstances
  • to object to or restrict how your personal data is processed
  • to have your personal data transferred to yourself or to another business in certain circumstances.
  • You have the right to be told if we have made a mistake whilst processing your data and we will self-report breaches to the Commissioner.

How you can access, update or correct your information

The Data Protection Legislation allows you to find out what information is held about you, on paper and computer records. This is known as ‘right of subject access’ and applies to your Electoral Services records along with all other personal records.

If you wish to see a copy of your records you should contact the Data Protection officer. You are entitled to receive a copy of your records free of charge, within a month.

In certain circumstances access to your records may be limited, for example, if the records you have asked for contain information relating to another person.

The accuracy of your information is important to us to be able to provide relevant services more quickly. We are working to make our record keeping more efficient. In the meantime, if you change your address or email address, or if any of your circumstances change or any of the other information we hold is inaccurate or out of date please email us or write to us at:

Electoral Services
Tower Hamlets Town Hall
160 Whitechapel Rd
London
E1 1BJ

Tel: 020 7364 5000

If you would like to know more about how we use your information, or if for any reason you do not wish to have your information used in any of the ways described, please tell us by contacting our Data Protection Officer:

The Data Protection Officer
Complaints and Information Team
Tower Hamlets Council
160 Whitechapel Rd
London
E1 1BJ

Tel: 020 7364 5000
Email: DPO@towerhamlets.gov.uk

You can obtain further information about GDPR from the Information Commissioner and can also contact them if you have any complaints that you wish to make:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Water Lane
Wilmslow, Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Tel: 0303 123 1113
ico.org.uk

Answer:

The information you provide when requesting Education Psychology (EP) involvement with your child and/or your needs will be handled in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and processed as part of Tower Hamlets Council’s official authority to carry out tasks in the public interest. Your information may contribute to decision-making between services and partner agencies involved when a young person is assessed under part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014.

Your information may be shared with relevant partners including, but not limited to the Special Educational Needs’ Section of The council, Health and/or Social Care and relevant educational professionals. Staff of the Educational Psychology Service will only share this information when they believe it is lawful, appropriate and in the best interests of your child. 

You have the right to make a formal request in writing for access to personal data held about you or your child, which must be responded to within 30 working days. You also have the right to request:

  • a correction of any inaccurate data we hold about you or your child
  • that we restrict our processing of you/your child’s data and/or restrict whom we share the data with, where permitted by law
  • to withdraw consent and remove data relating to you/your child, where consent was obtained and is permitted by law.

The retention of your/your child’s information will vary between organisations and will be governed by each respective organisation’s records retention policy. Tower Hamlets Council will retain the information contained in this form for up to 35 years.

Tower Hamlets Council also has a duty under the Children’s Act 2004 to work with partners to provide and improve services to children and young people in the area. Therefore, The council may use this information for other legitimate and statutory purposes and may share this information where necessary with other bodies responsible for administering services to children and young people. These can include, but are not limited to, where we believe there is risk of significant harm to a child, young person or vulnerable adult, and for the purposes of crime prevention and national security. Personal data may also be shared with the Department of Communities and Local Government as part of the Troubled Families Scheme.

More information about your rights are available on our website, including your right to complain or contact our Data Protection Officer.

If you are have any concerns, please contact the EPS in the first instance and if you are not satisfied with our response you can then contact the Data Protection Officer. 

Information Governance Manager
Legal Services
London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Town Hall
160 Whitechapel Rd
London
E1 1BJ

Email:  DPO@towerhamlets.gov.uk.

Answer:

We are the Planning and Building Control Department for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. This privacy notice explains how we use information in the course of our work as a local authority. This work includes:

  1. making decisions and providing advice on planning applications
  2. responding to allegations of unlawful development
  3. monitoring development
  4. entering legal agreements, serving notices and promoting the best use of land
  5. providing property search information
  6. naming or renaming streets and numbering or naming dwellings
  7. making decisions and providing advice on Building Control applications

If you have questions about data or privacy contact our Data Protection Officer by email at DPO@towerhamlets.gov.uk or write to Information Governance Manager, Legal Services, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, Town Hall, 160 Whitechapel Rd, London E1 1BJ.

Condition for processing personal data

It is necessary for us to process your personal data (name, address, contact details), under the GDPR as a task carried out in the public interest, and more personal data including health, personal and household circumstances as necessary for substantial public interest reasons.

How we collect your information

We receive applicant information in numerous ways – it is supplied to us directly from the applicant or on behalf of the following but not exclusive to, planning agents/solicitors/developers/builders. We may also receive information from a third party website that provides a transaction service. These currently include but are not exclusive to:

  • the Planning Portal
  • iApply
  • Submit-a-plan
  • National Land Information Service (NLIS)
  • TM searches. 

We also receive comments, representations, allegations and questions via email, letter, and through our platform(s) such as the Planning and Building Control webpage or the online Planning Register. We may also be given information passed on via local councillors. 

What we do with your information

To allow us to make decisions on their applications, individuals must provide us with some personal data (e.g. name, address, contact details). In a small number of circumstances individuals will provide us with "special category data" in support of their application (e.g. evidence of medical history or the documentary evidence required for self-builders to prove residency).

We use the information provided to us to make planning decisions about the use of land in the public interest. This is known as a "public task" and is why we do not need you to "opt in" to allow your information to be used.

We are obliged under the regulations to make available on planning registers some information provided to us in relation to planning applications. This is a permanent record of our planning decisions that form part of the planning history of a site. Planning and Building Control information along with other facts may form part of a "land searches".

How we share your information

We do not sell your information to other organisations. We do not routinely share data with any organisation outside the UK, but our website is available across the internet and we communicate with applicants and stakeholders wherever they are. We do not use your information for automated decision making.

We will make details of planning applications available online so that people and organisations can contribute their comments. We will sometimes need to share the information we have with other parts of the council and other statutory bodies such as London Fire Brigade and Historic England. This could be for example, to establish how long a building has been used as a dwelling.

Redaction ('blanking things out')

We operate a policy where we routinely redact the following details before making forms and documents available online:

  1. personal contact details for the applicant such as phone numbers and email addresses
  2. signatures
  3. Special Category Data - e.g. supporting statements that include information about health conditions or ethnic origin
  4. information agreed to be confidential

Sometimes we might decide it is necessary, justified and lawful to disclose data that appears in the list above. In these circumstances we will let you know of our intention before we publish anything.

If you are submitting supporting information which you would like to be treated confidentially or wish to be specifically withheld from the public register, please let us know as soon as you can - ideally in advance of submitting the application. The best way to contact us about this issue is to email ahead to planning&building@towerhamlets.gov.uk.

Retention ('how long we keep your information for')

We process many different types of information according to our Retention and disposal schedule. A brief summary of how long we keep things before they are destroyed:

Retention schedule
Information typeRetention period
Statutory registers (e.g. planning decisions, approved plans, legal agreements)  Indefinite 
Supporting documents, reports - committee decisions  6 years 
Supporting documents, reports - officer decisions  4 years 
Representations, letters, general correspondence  4 years 

Your rights

Making decisions on planning matters is a public task and you do not have the right to withdraw consent. However if you think we have got something wrong or there is a reason you would prefer for something to not be disclosed please ask us initially by emailing planning&building@towerhamlets.gov.uk.

You can find out more about your rights on our data protection page.

If you need to make a complaint specifically about the way we have processed your data you should in the first instance contact the council’s Data Protection Officer via email at DPO@towerhamlets.gov.uk. If we fail to respond properly you can direct your concerns to the Information Commissioners Office.

Answer:

1. If you live in rented accommodation, check if you need your landlord’s permission to own a dog.  LBTH tenants need to apply to their Housing Office for permission to keep a pet. Check leasehold agreements for any rules about keeping a dog. Make sure you have any necessary permission before getting a dog.

2. Don’t get a dog unless you can reasonably foresee being able to keep it for its whole lifetime.  Unexpected things can happen of course, but start out with the expectation of enjoying a whole life partnership with your dog.  It is not easy to rehome dogs as they get older, so casual and temporary decisions to own a dog often lead to the dog being put to sleep once it’s no longer wanted.  Consider whether your housing stability, your finances, your work/life balance and your family situation make this the right time to get a dog. 

3. Get your dog neutered.  Castration for a male dog and spaying for a female  will prevent them from having puppies.  There are more unwanted dogs than there are good homes for dogs at the moment.  Over population is the root cause of many of the problems relating to dogs in society.  Don’t be part of the problem.

4. Do not allow your dog to exercise off lead, even in an area where this is permitted, unless you have effective control of your dog.  Effective control means that the dog has good recall and is responsive to basic commands. 

5. Make sure your dog is well trained and socialised and can safely interact with other dogs without becoming fearful or aggressive. You are responsible for your dog’s behaviour and you must ensure it does not impact the safety and wellbeing of any other person or animal.

6. The council’s dog control public spaces protection order (PSPO) rules mean that dogs should be kept on a lead on all public roads, pavements and in car parks and including all estate roads and communal areas on estates.

7. Please be mindful that not all people wish to be greeted by your dog; some members of the community are fearful or allergic and may not welcome an interaction.  It is your responsibility to make sure your dog does not approach another person, particularly children or another dog, without permission of the the other person, even when walking on a lead.

8. Dogs who are reactive or lack social skills should not be taken into an off-lead dog area.

9. Dogs should be walked on a short lead to enable the handler to have good control of the dog. Long or retractable leads often do not provide effective control over the dog.

10. Do not approach other people’s dogs without the permission of the owner first.

11. The consequences of a dog-on-dog or dog-on-person attack can be significant: financial responsibility for vet bills, compensation or prosecution under the Dangerous Dogs Act and your dog being destroyed.

12. Take out third party insurance for your dog to protect yourself against claims by other parties.

13. Do not allow your dog to chase wildlife.  It encourages a prey drive which might be directed at a domestic pet.  If you wilfully allow your dog to injure wildlife, you can be prosecuted for causing unnecessary harm to an animal.

14. Always clean up after your dog.  The council’s dog control PSPO makes it an offence if you do not clean up after your dog. Make sure you carry plenty of bags for the purpose.  Offer one to another dog owner if they appear to be in need!

15. Make sure your dog’s vaccinations are up to date, to protect your own dog and any others it meets.  Regular flea and worm treatment is also your responsibility.

16. Remember to change your owner details on the microchip database if you move with your dog.  You can be fined for not having the correct registration information.

17. Your dog should wear a collar and tag showing the name and address of the owner.

18. Dog owners must ensure that their dog does not persistently bark which can be a nuisance for neighbours and the broader community.

19. Keep your dog on lead when entering or leaving your home or car, including lifts, communal entrances and corridors.

20. If you let your dog out in your garden, make sure your fences are secure enough to make escape absolutely impossible and tall enough to prevent your dog jumping or scrambling over – it’s surprising how agile an excited dog can be. If your garden abuts a walkway, people must be able to walk past without having your dog bark or lunge at them, so make fences high enough to create a screen.  YOU may know your dog to be friendly, but other people could be afraid, and they have the right not to feel intimidated by your ownership of a dog. 

Answer:

1. A person in charge of a dog, at any time, within a Public Place in the Restricted Area, must comply with a direction given to them by an Authorised Person to put and keep the dog on a lead for such period and/or in such circumstances as directed by that person, unless they can show that:

a. They have a reasonable excuse for failing to do so; or

b. The owner, occupier or other person or authority having control of the Public Place in question has consented (generally or specifically) to their failing to do so.

2. An Authorised Person may only give a direction under this Article if such restraint is considered by that person to be reasonably necessary to prevent a nuisance or behaviour by the dog that is likely to cause annoyance or disturbance to any other person, or other animal.

3. For these purposes, a ‘lead’ means any rope, cord, leash or similar item used to tether, control or restrain a dog, but does not include any such item which is not being used as a means of restraint so that the dog remains under a person’s close control.

4. This part of the Order applies to all Public Places within the Restricted Area.

Answer:

 1. Within the Restricted Area a person in charge of a dog in any Public Place detailed in Article 2 of this Part 1 must always keep that dog on a lead, unless they can show that:

a. They have a reasonable excuse for doing so;

b. The owner, occupier or other person or authority having control of the land has consented (generally or specifically) to their failing to do so.

2. This part of the Order applies to:

a. All public roads, pavements and car parks

b. All estate roads and communal areas on estates within the Restricted Area.

Answer:
1. If a dog defecates in any Public Place within the Restricted Area, at any time, the person who oversees the dog at the time must remove the faeces forthwith, unless:

a. They have a reasonable excuse for failing to do so; or

b. The owner, occupier or other person or authority having control of the Public Place has consented (generally or specifically) to their failing to do so.

2. For the purposes of this Article:

a. Placing the faeces in a receptacle in the restricted area which is provided for the purpose, or for the disposal of litter or waste, shall be a sufficient removal from the Public Place;

b. Being unaware of the defecation (whether by reason of not being in the vicinity or otherwise), or not having a device for, or other suitable means of, removing the faeces shall not be a reasonable excuse for failing to remove the faeces.

3. This part of the Order applies to all Public Places within the Restricted Area.

Answer:

1. Within the Restricted Area, no person shall oversee more than four dogs in any Public Place unless:

a. They have a valid professional dog walker license issued by London Borough of Tower Hamlets authorising that person to oversee more than four dogs at any time in a Public Place;

b. They have a reasonable excuse for doing so; or 

c. The owner, occupier or other person or authority having control of the land has consented (generally or specifically) to their overseeing more than four dogs.

2. For the purposes of this article, a person who has a dog in their possession, custody or control shall be taken to oversee the dog(s).

3. This part of the Order applies to all Public Places within the Restricted Area.

Answer:

1. Nothing in this Order shall apply to a dog being used by or under the control of the police, contractors or agencies permitted by the Council for official purposes, or a person who:

a. Is registered as a blind person on a register complied under Section 29 of the National Assistance Act 1948; or

b. Is deaf, in respect of a dog trained by Hearing Dogs for Deaf People (registered charity number 293358) and upon which they rely for assistance; or

c. Has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on the ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities, who uses a dog for assistance, which has been trained to assist a person with a disability.

Answer:

1. It is an offence under Section 67 of the Act for a person without reasonable excuse:

a. to do anything that they are prohibited from doing under the Order or 

b. to fail to comply with a requirement which they are subject to under the Order. 

2. A person guilty of an offence under section 67 is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale. In the alternative, that person may be issued with a fixed penalty notice.

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